The Holy City Hustle

A Duke Dempsey Mystery

By: Ron Plante Jr.

Narrated by: Gene Blake

Super sleuth Duke Dempsey is at it again when he is drawn into a world of corruption, deception, and murder. An assassinated mayor, the mob, and corruption that reaches the highest levels of government takes Duke on a journey that brings him face to face with his past. All the answers he seeks are in an elusive ledger that he must bring to light.

©2020 Ron Plante Jr (P)2020 Ron Plante Jr

Awesome Gritty Performance

Gene Blake does a masterful job capturing the genre and scene of this noir murder mystery. The story is set in Charleston, SC right before America jumped into World War 2. This is the second book in the series and is very consistent with the first. I am the author of this series and wanted to give a review of the performance. This is the second project I worked with Gene on and his professionalism is second to none. He immerses himself into each narration and it really shows. His gritty style really brings Duke Dempsey to life. We hope you enjoy this story as much as we did creating it.

Noir at its best!

private-investigators, ex-cop, the-mob, noir, 1930s, murder-investigation, murder, suspense, law-enforcement, Charleston, violence*****
1938 Charleston, South Carolina where Duke is about to receive a commendation until the mayor is assassinated right then and there.
Duke is visited by a woman with secret information and a target on her, so he contacts his ex partner in the CPD and together they investigate the mob connections and violence here and in Cuba. Great storytelling and a very twisty noir. Loved it!
Narrator Gene Blake has a very emotive delivery and character differentiation well suited to the material.

Tough and gritty story with great narration

I enjoyed listening to this a great deal. Duke Dempsey is as consistent as ever, with sharp instincts and endless perseverance that sees him through from the first gunshot fired to the unveiling of the last conspirator. And boy, do those conspirators pop up in the most interesting places; situations are not always what they seem and the same goes for characters.

Like book 1, there's a lot of action here and I'd expected nothing less, but as the title of this book suggests The Holy City Hustle is more focused on the vein of corruption that is found in Charleston's circles, though this is evenly balanced with the mob-like Cuban threat. The plot's trail is dark and twisted, aided and abetted by the efforts of Mr Blake's narration, which suits Ron Plante Jr's setting and characters perfectly. The dark grit of the story is mirrored in its portrayal, although lighter tones convey the loyalty, honour and courage that Duke personifies.

An excellent book and captivating mystery - I look forward to Book 3!